Day 2: Writing Advice

Two pieces of advice… *grins* What to choose?

My first bit of advice sounds a bit cliché, but it is true nonetheless. This is persevere. Writing isn’t always easy. It is rewarding, in the end, but there are times you hate your work. Times you wonder why you ever started; why you even thought this idea was ever good. Don’t give up. Keep moving. Upward, outward. Keep working, keep pressing forward.

Yes, you might have work to do. You might have corrections. But it is doable. Remember why you started. Keep going. Write even when you don’t feel like it so when you come out of the ‘slump’ you’ll have more done than when it started. There are times to set a project aside, but don’t always start something new. ~ Samuel Johnson once said ‘my dear friend, clear you mind of can’t. Yes, it is hard, but if you have decided this is something you want to do, then dedicate yourself to the work, to learning and to practic, and in the end, you might surprise yourself with what you have accomplished.

My second tip is a bit more technical and this is pay attention to descriptions. Seems like a random thing to say? Not really. Description are powerful. And I’m not talking about describing everything your character sees. Description are so much more than a mere setting; they are the life-blood of prose because they show the world through your characters eyes. They set the mood and draw the reader into the character’s mind with just a few well chosen words. Take something as simple as a character walking home though rain. One character may pull his cloak tighter, shivering as the lighting cracks like the lash of a whip. Another girl may grin and let the drops caress her face while thunder rumbles like the applause of a crowd. Not only does this show the character’s mood, it also can give hints about his backstory, his wishes, his fears, his experiences and what he thinks about. A few month ago, Kingdom Pen published an article I wrote on description. You can check it out here: Three Ways You Might Be Wasting Your Descriptions. Outside of theme and a sound grasp of character arcs, plot arcs, and basic prose, vivid, personal descriptions is arguably one of the quickest ways to give your writing a very visible boost in quality. Besides, it is very exciting.

5 comments

Those are wonderful pieces of advice, Hope! The second one is so true. I’ve read stories where the author didn’t take advantage of description and the story was mostly setting and conversations. (It was rather boring.) And I’ve read other books where the description is such a part of the story that you feel you are there with the characters living with them. Description is so much more than just the clothes or the house, it is the mood and the setting.
Thanks for sharing this great advise!

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